The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for establishing a trust relationship between two independent products so that users of one product are authorized to use resources provided by the other product.
Computer systems often have various roles and relationships. For example, one computer system may operate as an email server, a web server, or a domain controller, while another computer system may operate as a client. Some computer systems may have authority to perform actions, such as authenticating other computer systems, not granted to other computer systems. One type of relationship is a trust relationship, in which a trustee establishes that a particular computer system is trusted to perform one or more actions.